A "Monday Show" mention.

Tony Rielage recently interviewed Don Hall about Wip (Tony's workshop program) and the general state of improv.

Don's an interesting guy. Even in the few times that I have disagreed with him, I always found myself actively engaged in what he was saying and how he said it. If you haven't already, check out his blog. It's linked over on my sidebar and is called "An Angry White Guy In Chicago". His blog entries are smart, funny and passionate. There are things there for improvisers and non-improvisers alike. Of particular note, are Don's writings about his recent employment in the Chicago educational system. Every one of those entries is a gem.

Anywho...

In the interview, Don mentions me and "The Monday Show", a show that I produced last year. (And the year before that.) He said some nice things about the show and marketing the show to the general public. Here, reprinted without the authors permission, is the relevant excerpt.

It’s like [Mr.B] with The Monday Show. The Monday Show had a specific feel and, you know, he capitalized on the name, it was on Monday, cool, that’s fine. But it was a format and it had a look, and he did it on off-nights so it didn’t cost him a lot, and he had good audiences because it was a good, good show.

TR: Um... although "The Monday Show" doesn’t...

DH: It’s a pretty crappy title.

TR: Even reading all the blurbs on it- I never got out to see it- because I was always doing tech those nights. But everything I’ve read about it was like, "Oh this is really great", "This has a good interesting feel to it", "It’s harkening back to another era", it should have really big, great wonderful audiences if people ever realized what the hell’s going on.

DH: Well, they did.... I loved it.

You can read the whole interview here. In fact, you probably should do that.

After he saw my show, Don Hall stood out front of the theater for an hour and gave me feedback on the show and on marketing, in general. His suggestions about alterations about marketing the show were smart and spot on. (If I were ever to remount the show, I would ABSOLUTELY use them. And give him credit for the suggestions.) Similarly, he astutely picked up on all the philosophical and artistic messages that we were trying to convey in the show. He "got it" on many different levels and I really appreciated that. Not everyone who saw the show, did.

One thing that Don said to me, I have held onto, these months later. It's one of the coolest things that anyone had to say about the show. And for me, it was the pay-off for months of hard work. I considered this to be my "payment" for doing the show. Here's what he said to me...

"If Del [Close] and Martin [De Maat] had seen this show, they both would've walked out, loving it. For entirely different reasons, mind you, but they would've loved it. I think Del would've loved it for it's dignity. How it treats improv like an artform. And I think Martin would've loved it for it's optimism and it's humanity. I think they both would've really loved it."

Don Hall don't mess around. If he didn't like it, he might've gently told me why, but he would've told me. I trust his appreciation for the show as the genuine article. The fact that he referenced it, a year or so later, only confirms that.

Someone that I like and respect, said something nice about a show that I directed and produced and that has just made my day.

Cheers,
Mr.B



PS. To learn more about "The Monday Show", check out this early blog entry. To read our excellant review of the show, check out this review from Centerstagechicago.com.